Aftermath
by Lions Soul
Summary: Sequel to Powertrip. In the aftermath, how does one cope when faced with impossible decisions, and how do you survive when your world is falling apart? Cid and Quistis struggle to do just this as they try to rule their emotions, conquer their fears and lead Balamb through its darkest hours.
1. Chapter 1

They had finally managed to make it to the infirmary. Quistis burst through the door and a startled Dr. Kadowaki turned towards the entrance. She immediately recognised the intruder as her friend, Quistis Trepe. She smiled at her before asking

"Quistis, you're ok. I'd heard you were captured after the sorceress incident." Quistis nodded in reply but did return the smile, despite been pleased to see her friend also. This worried the doctor who was about to enquire why she seemed so downbeat, when Zell walked in with Squall, and answered any questions she may have been about to ask.

She was shocked to see the state Squall was in. She'd known Squall since he was a boy and first brought to Garden, and throughout that time she had always looked after him when he was injured, which was far more occasions than she would have cared for. Even so, his present condition was the worst of them all. Her doctorial instincts kicked in and took charge of the situation.

"Jess got the gurney in here now." She ordered to one of her assistants. Jess was a young cadet who wanted to specialise as a medic. She hurriedly vanished to the back of the infirmary, following her instructions with haste. She returned as fast as she could and Zell put Squall on the gurney. Dr Kadowaki turned to leave with Jess and Squall when Quistis words caught her off guard.

"Save him."

She was at a loss for words and merely looked back at Quistis; smiled sympathetically and exited the room.

Once they were in the privacy of the surgery they removed Squall's jacket and t-shirt so they could see the full extent of the injuries suffered. Even at first glance both she and Jess could see he was in need of surgery. She checked his right shoulder where the sorceress ice attack had pierced him. She could see there was an injury but it was currently bruised and the swelling and discolour of the bruises contrasted against his usual skin tone made it very difficult to see the wound. This meant she could not fully examine the extent of the damage and this fact frustrated the doctor greatly.

Dr Kadowaki checked his breathing and noticed it was erratic; something was hindering his natural ability to breathe. She felt his neck to check for any blockage but could feel no obtrusion, meaning that option could be ruled out. Undeterred she moved downwards towards his ribcage and was feeling for any obscurities. To her concern she noticed several of the ribs she felt appeared to be cracked or broken.

She was also concerned to see the burn marks that systematically ran down the right hand side of ribs. The pattern was too organised to be the result of an accident or a one off spell or attack. She had known Quistis and her party had been captured but with each injury she examined the more worried she was becoming. Every new observation signalling Squall wasn't just captured but tortured, and it appeared to be over an extended duration.

The signs were unmistakeable. There was a gash on his chest, on the lower part of his pectoral muscle. It mirrored the scar on his face except for this laceration appeared to be cauterized. Her concerns deepened with each passing minute.

His stomach had a viscous wound that ran from just above his navel down the left side and across onto his back and this was a deep wound. The edges of the wound where his skin had been torn was jagged and from the other injuries she was examining she could tell the injury was no accident, and it sure as hell hadn't been treated; she was just hoping it wasn't infected.

The final piece of evidence that turned her theory into reality was found around Squall's wrists. The skin was broken and chafed, smeared with blood, and the pattern completely encircled his wrists suggesting he'd been restrained for at least some part of his ordeal.

His arm hadn't escaped her notice either, that was a horrific injury, and one that would require a great deal of care to examine and to try repair. His arm was not her primary concern though. His breathing was erratic and his vital signs were weak. She had to try stabilising his condition and fix these issues first or the arm would ultimately become irrelevant.

Whilst the doctor had been checking Squall, Jess had been preparing the equipment ready for the inevitable surgery that lay ahead. Once she had finished this she watched Dr Kadowaki studying Squall. Jess wasn't squeamish, she was fine around blood and she had seen and helped treat injuries before but nothing like this. These injuries were not a result of an accident or a training session with the monsters in the training centre. As she watched Dr Kadowaki methodically exam his wounds and injuries she was drawing the same conclusions, torture. This did make her uncomfortable and made her feel unsettled. She was interrupted from her own thoughts and feelings by Dr Kadowaki's words.

"Quickly clean his face and then we will fit the endotracheal tube"

She paused for the slightest moment as the words registered and then she burst into life and set to work. She cleaned his face as best she could and made sure there was no blood showing on his face so they could easily tell if there were problems or complications during the surgery. She administered the anaesthetic. He may be unconscious and she doubted he would be regaining consciousness anytime soon, but he could still feel pain and they didn't want him struggling or moving around during the surgery and cause any unnecessary complications. The doctor then placed the tubes in through his nostrils and down into trachea. Jess taped it in place and made sure it was secure. Jess then hooked him up to the ECG so they could monitor his heart during surgery. His heartbeat was weak and faint; it was barely registering on the machine.

The doctor marked his chest where she was planning on cutting into it. She mentally prepared herself for the long procedure ahead and took a deep breath. She looked at Jess and gave a determined look and spoke

"Let's get to work."

* * *

Meanwhile…

Quistis and Zell had been searching for Xu for almost an hour now and were growing increasingly frustrated. They had searched everywhere on the first floor and had just finished looking in the classrooms on the second.

"Where is she?" Zell said, his tone conveying all his current frustration.

"We've searched everywhere except Cid's office" answered Quistis.

They set off in a hurry and were relieved that when they eventually arrived at Cid's office they found Xu.

"Quistis, Zell you…" Quistis cut her off as she was in no mood for formalities.

"Where's Cid?"

"I don't know." Xu answered, surprised by the abruptness of Quistis.

"We have to speak to him."

"I'm sorry but he is in hiding, I don't know where he is"

"Cut the crap Xu. Missiles are heading this way and we have to warn everyone."

"Missiles?" Xu repeated with genuine confusion. Cid also had heard this and he came out of his hiding place and spoke

"Quistis, Zell. It's genuinely good to see you. I'd heard you were captured. What's this about missiles?"

"They are heading this way. The sorceress. She" Zell stuttered. He was unsettled, nervously bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Instructor. Can you give me a full report?" Cid asked. He sat in the chair at his desk and motioned for them to take a seat also.

"Where to start Sir?" She said.

"I find the beginning is always best." He said in his usual manner. She nodded and continued.

"We met with General Caraway in Deling City as per orders sir. We were given the mission of assassinating the sorceress. We split into two teams and at her precession we were going to execute the plan. Myself, Zell and Selphie were the gate team. It was our job to trap her float in the archway and Squall, Rinoa and Irvine were the firing squad. Everything was going to plan. We trapped her in the archway but the shot didn't come. When it did it was too late, she was expecting it."

"So then what happened?" He asked.

"Our orders were to confront her head on if the shot failed. Squall Rinoa and Irvine did just that sir. Seifer was there. He and Squall fought and Squall won but as soon as he did the sorceress…" She paused. Cid noticed this and looked at her. She looked upset. Zell gave her a nudge and she regained her composure and continued.

"She attacked him with an ice spell and knocked him off the float. That's when things went wrong and we were captured Sir."

Cid nodded and then asked

"Where did they take you?"

"The D-District prison. I regained consciousness and was in a cell with Zell, Selphie and Rinoa. Irvine and Squall were nowhere to be found." Cid listened and began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Eventually some guards came and took Rinoa away. Zell came up with a great plan and we managed to escape. We met up with Irvine and Rinoa again and we found Squall." As she spoke his name she looked down at the desk and paused. Cid picked up on this and asked his question, his voice soft and sympathetic.

"Where was Squall when you found him?"

"He…" She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"He was being tortured sir." Answered Zell instead. Cid closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and then forced himself to ask

"So what happened next?"

"We regrouped, learnt of the missile attack and escaped the prison sir. Then Zell Squall and I came here whilst the others went to the missile base to try and stop them."

Cid had listened to their report and was worried, he'd heard them say Squall was with them but he wasn't here giving the report himself. He'd heard them say Squall was tortured and now he was worried. On top of this he was now been told missiles were imminent. The situation was dire.

"Where's Squall now? Why isn't he here giving the report?" Asked Cid.

"He's in the infirmary sir. He's in a bad way." Answered Zell, his voice trembling as he spoke the words.

"Xu call the infirmary. I want to know the second that he comes out of surgery." She nodded and made the call with haste.

"Now about these missiles. I heard that the garden was supposed to have a mechanism to allow it to move but we never figured it out or thought we'd ever have a need for it." Continued Cid.

"So where is this mechanism?" Asked Quistis.

"It's in the lower levels of garden. You'll need to take the lift to the basement and then you will have to go through the tunnels to find it. Now go. If these missiles are as close as you say then we haven't much time."

Zell and Quistis nodded and made for the lift as fast as they could. They worked their way through the mazing tunnels and eventually found the mechanism and once Zell finished his tampering, the machine whirred into life and a platform rose from the floor and elevated them up. It didn't stop, it just went higher.

"Look out" Yelled Zell as he and Quistis dived to the platform floor as it crashed through the ceiling, through Cid's office and higher still. As this was happening garden had uprooted and was now moving towards the coastline of Balamb. As it moved just seconds after it had left its old home the missiles descended and blew a crater in its place. The two of them were delighted that they had saved garden, and in the absolute nick of time. If they'd have been a few seconds slower it would have been disaster. The fates finally seemed to have thrown them a lifeline and they gratefully received it.

As Quistis Zell Xu and Cid admired the view from the bridge they should have been elated and celebrating saving Balamb but the best they could manage was a half-hearted smile. They were worried about their friend and fellow SeeD.

Cid thanked them for their exploits and promised them promotions in their SeeD ranks. He then ordered them to go try get some must needed rest. They reluctantly agreed to try as they were both tired and had been through a torrid ordeal, although they both doubted they'd get the rest they deserved.

Shortly after Quistis and Zell had left the office Cid was sat at his desk. His head was pounding; it had been a long day, and he could feel the onslaught of a migraine approaching. Opening the drawer in his desk he took out a pill from the silver packaging and swallowed it. He leant forward, rested his head in his hands and closed his eyes, hoping for the pill to take effect quickly. Suddenly the phone rang in the office; startling him. He was listening but did not move from his position.

"Headmaster Cid's office." Answered Xu. She listened to the information she was given and nodded.

"Thank you." She put the phone down and immediately relayed the information to Cid.

"Sir. Squall's out of surgery." Cid took a moment to register her words and then quickly composed himself and sat back in his chair and then swiftly rose.

"Thank you Xu. Please inform doctor Kadowaki that I am on my way down now." He acknowledged in his usual polite manner.

Xu had worked with Cid long enough now to notice the subtle signs that he wasn't as composed as he appeared to be though. She could tell that he was genuinely worried about Squall. He was fidgeting with his hands and was taking slow unsteady steps, as if his mind was preoccupied.

* * *

When Cid finally arrived at the infirmary he went to open the door and reached for the door handle. When his hand was on it, he paused to compose himself, turned the handle and then entered. Dr Kadowaki was at her desk, waiting for him. When she saw him she looked at him and offered a smile, but didn't say anything. Cid in return offered the same smile and sat down. He lifted his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, it was a habit he seemed to do more and more these days, exhaled and enquired.

"How is he?"

"He's in a critical condition. His injuries were very severe and there were complications during the surgery." She spoke in a professional manner, her voice not betraying her own personal emotions on the situation.

"Will he live?" Cid asked solemnly. Doctor Kadowaki hesitated before answering.

"The next 24 hours are critical, he's lost a lot of blood and his vital signs are very weak." Her answer was not one that filled Cid with much hope. She continued.

"He had some broken ribs and one of them punctured his lung. We've managed to re-inflate the lung but I can't be certain it will stay inflated. I don't know how long he'd carried the injury."

Cid listened to her and a lump grew in his throat. He was hearing the words and they were assaulting his mind, waging a war on his emotions; a war they were winning. He stood, he felt a little unsteady on his feet as walked over towards the room. He paused before entering in an attempt to compose himself. Doctor Kadowaki didn't follow; she remained sat at her desk completing some paperwork, allowing Cid some time alone with the patient.

Once Cid felt he was ready he entered Squall's room. As soon as he did his mental preparations meant nothing; they failed to safeguard him from the battalions of fear, grief and guilt that swept over him. He knew Squall was in a bad way but when he actually laid eyes on him he broke.

Squall laid there motionless. His torso was heavily bandaged, hardly any skin was showing but what was on show was pale, very pale. There were numerous tubes going into him that were attached to one of the surrounding machines, all serving some different purpose. There was one in particular he that stood out. It was a large tube that went directly into his chest; he wasn't sure what this was for, he'd never seen anything like it before.

He watched Squall for a moment and took in all the different machines that were supporting him, keeping him alive. There were machines monitoring his heart, helping him breathe, feeding him. He was effectively completely dependent on these for survival at the moment. Cid hated that thought. In truth he hated all his thoughts at present. It was bad enough seeing him in this state, but to know that it wasn't an accident, to know that Squall was like this because he had been tortured, was something Cid was struggling to accept. It was him that gave the order to have the sorceress killed and that order fell to Squall to carry it out, albeit unintentionally. The guilt was burning him up inside.

"I'm sorry" He said, his voice trembling as he spoke the words.

He was struggling to contain his emotion whilst looking at Squall. He had raised him from a young orphan and had watched him mature into the young man he was today. Sure he had been distant and a bit of a loner, but that was just his nature. He was a fine warrior and the embodiment of SeeD. And there in laid the problem; he was lying here fighting for life because he was SeeD and because he'd carried out his orders, even though his orders were practically a suicide mission. Cid couldn't tolerate the torment and the guilt that was plaguing him and he left the room. He didn't want to but he knew he had to.

He stood outside of Squall's room. Tears were threatening to overwhelm him. A few small teardrops had already escaped and many more were trying to follow their example. Cid was defiant; he turned and took one last look through the door and then he walked away. He walked past doctor Kadowaki's desk and she tried to catch his attention. She spoke his name but he didn't acknowledge her and walked straight past and out of the infirmary.

Once he reached his office he dismissed Xu for the evening. He sat at his desk and closed his eyes. He tried desperately to block out the thoughts that continuously replayed in his mind. He sighed deeply and reopened his eyes. He stood up and walked over to the ornate wooden cabinet that occupied the western wall of the office. He opened the left door of the cabinet and assessed the contents of it; several bottles of alcohol and numerous fine glasses. He grabbed the nearest of both. He opened the bottle and poured some of the contents into the glass. He drank it in one swift motion. Then he poured another and drank this one just as quickly. He then contemplated pouring another but decide to just drink from the bottle instead and he walked over to the window in his office and stared out at the ocean below. He took a big gulp of his drink and continued to stare. The thoughts didn't subside so he unrelentingly drank and stared.

Eventually he stopped staring and he felt light headed, the alcohol truly taking effect in his system. He sat back at his desk and drank the final drops from the bottle. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the desk. He fell asleep quickly and the bottle fell from his hand and on to the floor below.


	2. Chapter 2

Quistis lay in her bed staring at the ceiling. She had tried to get to sleep for hours but her efforts had been fruitless and she was still awake. She couldn't stop thinking about recent events. She had hardly had any sleep or rest in the last week and her body was exhausted. She was exhausted but her mind refused to stop working and simply wouldn't yield to her body's request.

She thought about Seifer and how she had tried her best to help make him SeeD. She had been his instructor and he had the potential to be one of the best ever; unfortunately he lacked the temperament. She thought about how quickly he had turned his back on garden and everyone who had tried to help him. This upset her. Then she thought about why he turned her back on them; to side with the sorceress. She contemplated how they could possibly defeat her; she was so powerful and now had Seifer by her side too.

She recalled what happened last time they encountered her and how it landed them in prison and then she thought about what happened in prison; what happened to Squall. She was deeply upset and on the verge of tears. She stayed strong and resisted the siren song of her tears and with a deep sigh she decided to give up her futile search for sleep and she headed to her bathroom.

She turned the shower on and let the water run for a few minutes. She stared into the mirror of the cabinet above the sink and studied her reflection. Her eyes had dark circles forming under them displaying her body's plea for sleep. She sighed again and got undressed. She got in the shower and stood under the now warm water. She felt the gentle pressure of the water just massage her aching muscles. Her body relaxed as the water worked its magic and she felt the tension and stress just dissipate. When she felt sufficiently relaxed she got out of the shower got dressed and headed to the infirmary.

Her mind was wandering of its own accord as she made the journey through the hallways of Balamb garden. She didn't know if Squall would be out of surgery yet; she'd heard nothing. She was unsure if this was a good thing or not. She knew that he was in a bad way, he'd been unresponsive ever since they'd found him. She had been praying to Hyne ever since that moment that he would survive. She wasn't foolish though, she knew that even if he did survive he may never be the same again but she decided long ago that she would rather deal with that possible outcome and have live than have him die.

She was now at the infirmary and she entered quietly. She was not surprised to find no one around for it was still the early hours of the morning. She went to the back of the infirmary to where she suspected Squall would be. Her instincts were correct. In the very back of the room was where she found him. She entered the room and immediately she felt overwhelmed by her emotions. She felt unsteady on her feet and she stumbled to the nearby visitors chairs and sat down.

It felt strange; she had seen him injured, bloody and beaten from the heinous torture and that didn't faze her as her natural survival instincts had kicked in and shielded her from her emotions. Now she was seeing him in the aftermath, that shield was well and truly broken and she was forced to confront her emotions and they were destroying her, slowly ebbing away her hope.

She looked upon him and absorbed the scene into her consciousness. She noted it all; the tubes stretching from his injured form to the machines that were supporting him, the bandages that seemed to cover most of his upper body, and the pale flesh that was on show lacking the usual warm glow, instead replaced by blackish blue bruises. She sat for a few minutes and just watched him breathing, taking comfort in the motion of his rising and falling chest. She'd known Squall for so long to know how much of a fighter he was; she knew that whilst he breathed, he fought and would not give up. She knew he would for life until his last breath and this was giving her hope that he must just pull through this.

She had found some small sense of comfort in her heart and she was prepared to cling onto it with every fibre of her being. She used this new found strength to rise to her feet and she left the room. She went to the vending machine and selected her choice and waited as the machine clattered and went through its motions before eventually dispensing the hot drink into the brown disposable cup. She grabbed the drink and went back to Squall's room.

Having already seen him and had the inevitable onslaught of emotions and the battalions of fear and doubt lead their charge against her she was better prepared to observe him more. Due to this, when she re-entered the room she noticed the clipboard at the end of his bed. She picked it up and read the notes written upon it. She was concerned but unsurprised by what she read.

The clipboard was one long list of the injuries sustained. Quistis read them all, some were obvious some less so. She read about the cuts and gashes that were obvious and she skimmed over these as she knew they were superficial and would heal. She surveyed the lower items on the list at greater length. These were the deeper ones, the more life threatening injuries. She read them all and studied the list in great detail. She would read an injury and then look at him and see the injury. She did this several times and now the machines and tubes that were working hard and efficiently now made sense, even the tube in his chest.

She finished reading the list and replaced the board at the foot of the bed. She took a sip of her coffee and sat down on the chair by his side. She had got over the initial shock but her fear and concern had not diminished, not even in the slightest. She knew he was close to death and was fighting to stay alive.

She remembered back to the prison and been locked in that cell. It was cold and dank but at least she wasn't alone, she'd had Zell and Selphie with her and Rinoa for a time. Quistis recalled the guards and their harsh manner, how they abused their power and weren't afraid to use it. She thanked Hyne for Zell being there with her, he'd taken a beating looking after them in that cell. She knew she could handle herself under normal circumstances, but without her whip and in that cell she dread to think of what the guards might have done to her if Zell wasn't there.

She briefly left her thoughts and looked at Squall once more, bringing with it more thoughts which consumed her once more. Once again she thought back to the prison and how the guards had mocked about their friend and the machine. She remembered that when they found Squall he was bound and shackled to the wall, she didn't know if this was the machine or not, or indeed what the machine did. All she knew was that he was in this state when they found him and this was why she was so concerned. Whatever the machine was or did it had left him fighting for his life, and she wondered who else, if any had suffered like he had at the hands of that machine or those sick Galbadian soldiers.

Her thoughts were disrupted when Dr Kadowaki entered the room. She took her seat next to Quistis and took a sip from her thermos flask. She tried offer a smile to Quistis but the situation at hand made this difficult. Quistis was grateful for the effort from her friend. The two had known each other for many years now and with Quistis collecting students from the infirmary for her classes, as often as she had, she spent a lot of time there and they had become good friends.

"Quistis what are you doing here at this time?" the doctor asked.

Quistis didn't answer and the doctor honestly wasn't surprised. She'd asked the question more as a rhetorical question, knowing the answer anyway but trying to break the tension. She was sympathetic to her friend's plight but she had questions she needed to ask, she didn't want to ask them but the answers may hold the key to aiding Squall in his fight for life. She placed her hand on Quistis' shoulder and gently squeezed; that almost maternal fashion that doctors liked to use. Quistis tensed at the motion but then looked at her friend.

"What happened to you guys?" She tentatively asked.

The words sent a shiver down the spine of the blonde instructor as she recalled the events, and her eyes pleaded to the doctor for her not to have to talk about it. Doctor Kadowaki was adamant she'd get the answers she needed and probed further.

"Please Quistis."

Still there was no answer and now she was getting desperate.

"Squall's life may depend on it". Her tone was one of authority but was also laced with subtle empathy.

This was sufficient to force Quistis to respond

"We were on a mission to assassinate the sorceress. There were complications and Squall, Irvine and Rinoa confronted her head on."

The doctor gave a confused look at the sound of Rinoa's name but she didn't interrupt, preferring to allow Quistis to continue.

"Seifer was there and he and Squall fought. Squall got the better of him eventually and then he started to confront the sorceress when she summoned an ice spell…"

Her voice faded as she thought about the horrible incident. The doctor waited, she could see it was difficult for her to talk about. After a few minutes she had regained her composure.

"She fired several spears of ice straight at Squall. He didn't have time to react and one of them pierced straight through him, knocking him off the float."

Doctor Kadowaki was shocked, she hadn't been expecting what she had just heard and there was more to come yet.

"That's when we were arrested. I was knocked unconscious and when I awoke again I was in a cell with Selphie and Zell and Rinoa. Rinoa was freed and we were left in that cell. I have no idea how long we were there but the guards were horrible and sadistic. The lights in the cell would flicker on a regular basis and the guards would mock and say it was something to do with our friend and the machine."

The more the doctor listened the more worried and intrigued she became. Quisits looked at her and she could see her eyes were glistening as she recalled the painful memories.

"When we finally escaped our cell we went looking for Squall. When we eventually found him he was shackled to a wall and what I assume was the machine. He was unconscious and his clothes were soaked in blood and he was barely breathing."

Quistis voice broke and she burst into tears, the thought of the man she was in love with been tortured the way he was had been too much for her. The doctor tried her best to comfort her but in truth there wasn't much she could do, so she put her arm round her and allowed Quistis to cry into her shoulder.

As time passed Quistis stopped her crying and a brief silence engulfed the room. Quistis broke the silence by asking a question that she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to.

"Will he live?"

Her words were simple, her tone was desperate. The doctor hesitated before answering and she looked at her friend. She studied her and could see the usual composure of the blond instructor was missing; her raw passion and emotions for Squall were laid bare and shone through her blue eyes. She took a breath and answered

"His injuries were…"

Quistis cut her off mid-sentence, a fiery resilience burning through her teary eyes.

"Don't!" she paused briefly to take a breath of composure and continued. "Just give me an honest answer. Please."

The doctor was torn between her professional and personal involvement in the conversation. She wanted to believe he would live and she wanted to tell Quistis everything would be alright, truly she did; but the doctor in her held her back, made her answer with cautious restraint.

"I don't know."

Her answer was honest but was hard to hear. Quistis was grateful for hearing the truth from her friend; she knew it couldn't have been easy for the doctor to say, but the harsh truth was enough to cause further tears to fall freely down her face.

"The next 24 hours are crucial; his injuries were severe and he lost a lot of blood."

The words, though softly spoken, pierced her heart and struck her to the core.

"I'm sorry."

With those words, she left the room, leaving Quistis alone with Squall once more. Quistis grabbed Squall's hand and squeezed it tight. It was all she could think of to do. She loved him so much and heart was screaming in pain for him, sending tears to her eyes to sound its feelings. She did not fight the tears; she let them flow down her cheeks; each one slowly releasing her fear and eventually when she had no tears left, she felt numb and the extent of her exhaustion caught up with her. She closed her eyes, falling asleep, still holding onto his hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Quistis was awoken from her sleep with a start as the machines in the room were screaming in alarm. She barely had the chance to comprehend what was happening before Dr Kadowaki, Jess and a few other medical orderlies burst into the room, alert as ever.

"Get her out of here" the doctor shouted as she prepared the team and surveyed the room. One of the orderlies grabbed Quistis to try escort her out of the room but she refused to leave the room and protested fiercely. With the help of another orderly they got her out of the room allowing the doctor and her team to handle the situation in the room.

The machines were deafening as they screeched their message.

"He's flat lining. Get me the crash cart now!" The doctor barked her instructions at her staff as she grabbed hold of his shoulders in an attempt to stop him convulsing and cause him further injury. The crash cart arrived and they set to work. Quistis watched on in horror from just outside the room as they tried to save her love.

'_This isn't happening. I must be dreaming. This isn't happening.'_ She kept reliving these thoughts over and over again as she watched on, tears flowing down her face. She was a warrior and a child prodigy, battle-hardened and a SeeD instructor but she couldn't stop the tears; for she was also human. She was mortal and like all others mortals she was ruled by emotions and right now she was vulnerable, at her most fragile.

"Clear"

Quistis heard the doctor say and this was immediately followed with the sound of an electrical buzz as the doctor used the defibrillator and delivered and electrical charge to Squall. She watched as his body reacted with a sharp spasm like movement and then went limp once more. Everything seemed to slow down for Quistis as she watched; the people seemed to move in slow motion and she wasn't noticing the noise anymore. It all just felt so surreal to her. It was as if she was in a dream, where she was seeing events unfold but she was unable to make any motion or react in anyway.

"And again, clear"

The doctor charged up the defibrillator once more and applied another charge to the chest. Again Squall's body reacted with a large convulsion before going limp. The machines showed improvement was been made as the green lines became more consistent, the peaks becoming greater. The doctor watched Squall carefully, her eagle eyes checking for everything and anything out of the ordinary. She didn't have to look long as she noticed that his bandages around his midsection were now tainted red suggesting the danger hadn't yet subsided.

"He stabilising" said Jess. Doctor Kadowaki nodded in response then picked up the medical scissors from the nearby cart.

"Prepare the anaesthetic." She said to Jess who gave a confused look back at the doctor. She hadn't noticed what the doctor had.

"Jess" She said with much greater authority. This drove her into life and she went about her work. She injected the anaesthetic into his arm and as they waited for it to take effect, the doctor used the scissors to cut off the blood stained bandage. Once she had removed it, the problem was evident. The stitches had blown apart and the wound reopened, and was bleeding quite badly. She tested to see if the anaesthetic had taken effect and was pleased to see it had. She wasted no time in trying to close the wound and limit the damage. All the while Quistis watched on, her hands pressed to the glass of the window on the door. She could not do anything else. She wanted to be with him, wanted to help, she wanted to just hold him and pray this wasn't happening, have things return to normal.

Doctor Kadowaki cleaned the wound to prevent infection and managed to stem the bleeding. She carefully re-stitched and closed the wound before bandaging him up once again. She was satisfied that he was stable but was still extremely concerned. She had seen no reason as to why he had gone into cardiac arrest. She headed towards the door for there was nothing more she could do for him now.

Quistis saw her coming towards the door and took a step back, as soon as the doctor opened the door she tried to barge her way in. The doctor grabbed her and stopped her.

"Let go of me. Let go!" Quistis was hysterical, her emotions completely dictating her actions.

"Quistis calm down. It's ok; he's stable but needs to rest". Said the doctor in as reassuring a tone as possible, desperately trying to convince Quistis.

After much resistance she submitted to the doctors will and calmed down. After the doctor answered her questions and explained the situation she was more in control of her emotions but still deeply concerned. After much time had passed, the doctor wrote her report and Quistis returned to her vigil by Squall's bedside, sat in the chair that last night was her bed and would be again.


End file.
